Ocean of Words: Stories [Paperback]

 

 

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Ocean of Words, Ha Jin, Vintage, 1996, pp.205

All the stories occur near the Wusuli River, northern border with Russia. Some stories take place during the very tense situations with Russia (The Russian Prisoner, p. 134 shows how tense the situation really was) and some shortly after Russia and China agreed on the fixed border. They involve the PLA (People's Liberation Army) and we are given some rare insights into daily life of recruits and regular army soldiers.

Loyalty to the communist party was tantamount and instilling it was the job of the political instructor. He was the idealist who would correct mistakes of a non-military nature and reported to the Party regularly. It is amazing the trivia collected and filed against everyone. Lectures and study sessions went on daily leaving little free time but as monotonous as they were, it was one method utilized to reinforce Party ideology. 'Mind modeling is more important. You see whenever we slack a little in ideological education, problems will appear among men.' (p. 174) Some examples of these lectures are in A Lecture, but Old Liu discloses more than he should. Self-criticism is another unique method whereby the individual accuses himself of error and might even suggest his own punishment. The harshest penalty for such things as rape, serious theft, serious injury of another, or severe criticism of leaders, could be immediate death by a bullet to the head. There are many tiers of authority, each watching the members below. Anyone of them could and would instantly report any suspicious talk or action to his superior. Less serious 'crimes' could involve removal from the army and the Party. 'Bourgeois sentiment' ' thinking like a landowner or wealthy person, could have one accused and sent away for 're-education'. These castigations resulted in a miserable life and hardships, for his family also.

Throughout these stories you will note Mao's strictness regarding sexual affairs, especially involving local town's people. It was also the Seventh Rule of the army! In Too Late, Kong Kai breaks these rules which normally would result in serious repercussions. In The Best Soldier, we see how seriously immorality can be dealt with as Liu Fu is hunted down by 1000's of soldiers: 'He is unworthy of the nurture of the Party, unworthy of the Motherlands expectations, unworthy of his parent's efforts to raise him, unworthy of the gun...unworthy of his new green uniform.' (p.178) In Love in the Air, even two radio operators are expelled from the army for amorous speech.

The Second Rule of Mao forbids taking or even accepting anything from the locals, and this was severely enforced. Mao was fully aware that during the Long March, it was the generosity and provisions of the peasants which saved them. The army was heavily dependent on enlisted men coming from this group. Any bad feelings could also cause them to rebel as they did during the Boxer Rebellions. In Uncle Piao's Birthday Dinners, a number of recruits risked insulting a local old Korean who was housing them. In remote areas where no barracks were available, the soldiers depended on the locals to quarter them ' another reason the Second Rule had to be enforced. In Guanmen Village, out of the 230 homes, 304 men were quartered in 90 homes.

The life of a soldier guarding the northern frontier was extreme. Besides the numbing cold, there was around the clock guard duty, poor nutrition, in most cases ' sleeping on straw fully dressed, drill exercises, and the planting and carrying of army gardens. Moral building was maintained through study sessions, singing revolutionary songs, writing of slogans, movies and participation in any village activities. These hardships are revealed in Dragon Head and Miss Jee.

The emphasis on all these stories is the army with its duties and training. The last short story, Ocean of Words is the only story devoted to a rethinking of old approaches. Most soldiers and officers have little to no education and some are envious of Zhou Wen's ability to read and write. The Party secretary is an example of a person living in the past, ignoring the value of reading and thinking. Director Liang: '...I know what kind of people our Party really needs. We can recruit men who carry guns by the millions, easily. What we want badly is those who carry pens.' (p.203) History would prove that the pen was as powerful as the gun for the advancement of communism.

Ha Jin brilliantly evokes emotion in short stories that may take some an epic novel to create the same impact. His words are sunbeams bouncing on desolate land and you want to continue despite the heartbreak that you may only survive simply to survive. Never to fully live in the light. He is the most eloquent writer and he allows us to view a world not known to most Americans: China under Mao. Be swept away with words and emotions.

I'm very critical of some Chinese writers like Amy Tan for their distortions of a life they haven't experienced. But this doesn't apply to Ha Jin, who survived the Revolution and was a soldier. I really like this collection of stories because Ha Jin excels in writing vignettes by injecting fresh details. Anyone who is curious about Communist China should read this book. Skip his novels though.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrific Collection of Short Stories
I picked up An Ocean of Words from a staff recommendations section of the bookstore. I am glad that I did. This book is a wonderful collection of short stories. Read more

Published on May 26 2000 by Shogun Len

5.0 out of 5 stars China's Tim O'brien
I loved these stories! Ha Jin does an excellent job at not only writing amusing stories, but he also shows the reader the very nature of Communism in China during the Cultural... Read more

Published on Mar 3 2000 by Dominic J. Nardi Pc

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, spare stories
Ha Jin returns again and again to the same setting - the Chinese army encampments on the frozen and tense Sino-Soviet border of the 1970s -- and comes back with wonderful, spare... Read more

Published on Jan 15 2000 by Paul Wiseman

5.0 out of 5 stars Style, content and context impeccable...a gem.
Mr. Ha Jin writes succinctly, with an apparent insider's knowledge of the Chinese army, the soldiers and the period. Read more

Published on Dec 19 1999 by depaoli68

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating stories of army life in manchuria under mao
engrossing, elegantly written stories. Ha jin's prose is addictively easy to read (i gobbled it up in one sitting)...sign me up for his next book!

Published on Jun 9 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful short stories
The stories by Hai Jin are superb! The are easy to read and always touching. There is no story in this book that I didn't like it!

Published on Aug 29 1998

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